Enhancing Pre-service Mathematics Teachers' Ability to Recognize Bias, Discrimination and Inequality in Linguistically Diverse Primary Mathematics Classrooms through Critical Discourse Analysis and Combining Content Trajectory and Language Trajectory

Abstract

This research aimed to study the effect of an intervention designed to promote the ability to recognize bias, discrimination, and inequality among pre-service mathematics teachers in primary mathematics classrooms with linguistically diverse learners. The intervention integrated critical discourse analysis with a framework combining content and language trajectories. A quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was used with a sample of 30 third-year university students from a university in the lower northern region of Thailand. Research instruments included a 9-hour learning activity divided into three sessions, a record of participants' ability to recognize bias, and exit tickets. Quantitative data were analyzed using a dependent samples t-test, while qualitative data from the exit tickets were analyzed through content analysis. The results showed a statistically significant increase in the pre-service teachers' scores on the ability to recognize bias from a mean of 5.83 to 10.82 (p < .001) after participating in the activities. The intervention successfully developed their skills in observing and analyzing communication patterns that could exclude students, and it helped them identify issues of inequity in textbooks that fail to accommodate linguistically limited learners. Qualitative data from the exit tickets reflected a change in their attitudes and understanding of the teacher's role. These findings highlight the benefits of integrating such activities into teacher education curricula to enhance competencies in educational equity.